After Looking around at vanities I fell in love with this Pottery Barn Abbot Concrete Counter & Reclaimed Wood Sink Console for $1,699 + $75 Delivery charge + Whatever Tax would be $$$$. $1,700+ for the powder room vanity wasn’t in the budget so I looked around the interwebs and found THIS tutorial from Decor & The Dog (Decor & The Dog is chalked full of great DIY stuff!). I used the Decor & The Dog tutorial as a jumping off point. The vanity I ended up making is different, but the idea is the same with a few changes.

I ended up nixing the middle shelf and raising the bottom shelf. Partially out of laziness (I didn’t want to spend the time building the second shelf). Also, having a shelf that low to the ground would be a pain to clean under (not that I’d clean it often, remember… lazy). I wouldn’t be above a two shelf vanity for an upstairs bathroom (despite said cleaning difficulties). I just figured storage isn’t as big of a deal in a powder room. I didn’t draw out a nice sketch on paper, instead just opted to map it out in blue tape and marker ;-)…

Code requires the vanity edge (I took that as the counter) be 15″ from the toilet center. My plumber Dad (Grandpil) said inspectors let the toilet paper holder slide (most of the time). This is code for Oregon and Washington, I think it’s almost universal in the States. However, if you are unsure please check your local code.

I gave myself an extra 2″ to be safe. I then mapped out the sink and shelves to give myself a general idea of what the feel of the vanity would be. I was also concerned with getting the sink height right. I surfed through a few vanities online and found a general acceptable height for vanities with vessel sinks to be approximately 31″. With that said, I chose a very shallow sink(*Affiliate Link), and also accounted for around a 2.5″ counter. I really liked mapping it all out with tape and markers, it gave me a feel for how everything would fit.

Building Directions:

Step 1: Attaching 1×4 Aprons

First I attached the legs (4×4) to the aprons (1×4) to make the top of the vanity. I drilled two pocket holes into each 1×4 going into the 4×4’s. I also added brackets, probably unnecessary, but why not? The 1x4s are flush with the top of the 4×4 and recessed in about 1/4″

Step 2: Attach 2×3 Bottom Supports

The entire bottom shelf is made out of 2x3s. I chose 2x3s because they were significantly cheaper than the 1x2s I found at Home Depot. I attached each 2×3 with two pocket holes on both ends. The side 2×3’s at 11 10/16″ and the front and back 2×3’s are 26 3/16″ (same as the apron 1×4 on top).

The bottom shelf is approximately 6 9/16″ from the floor (you can change this if you’d like). Anything around 7″ seems do-able for cleaning. The top of the shelf (top of 2×3) is 21″ from the bottom of the 1×4 apron (again, this can be tweaked based on your preferences).

Step 3: Add Bottom 2×3 Shelf Slats

Next I attached eight 2×3 @ 11 13/16″ bottom shelf slats (NOTE: these slats are slightly LONGER (3/16″ longer) than the side 2x3s in the previous step).

Sorry for the photo quality, mess, and beer bottles.

So, for some reason, I decided to make the first slat gap on each side smaller than the rest of the slat gaps (and the rest of the gaps don’t look to be perfectly even ever..oh well). I don’t remember why I did this, it appears to be pointless. So, really the only directions for this step is don’t be dumb like me. Attach your 2×3 slats evenly throughout the bottom shelf using two pocket holes. If you’ve made the dimensions of your vanity the same as mine the gaps should be approximatley 11/16″ between each 2×3… BUT, if you’re smart, you’d check my math because my math skills shouldn’t be trusted.

The nearly finished product 🙂

The vanity isn’t actually squished in the corner like that. It sits a few inches to the left. So there’s a gap between the 4x4s and the side wall to accommodate the counter lip. I ended up staining it with 2 coats of Minwax Dark Walnut with 2 coats of Polycrylic. The bathroom is further along than this picture shows. I’m currently working on the Cement Counter post where you can see the stain job and the pretty cement counter and sink! I will hopefully have that post up next week!

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Comments

Thank you SO MUCH for this tutorial. I too have looked at vanities and fell in love with the Abbott at Potterybarn. My only problem is that my space is only 22”. After months of looking, I decided to have it custom made. But then I got the idea to make it myself.
I was going to one of those reclaimed building supply warehouses that hold classes for us common folk on how to make simple things like tables or benches.

I’m so glad you found the tutorial helpful!! I should be posting the finished pictures here in the next month or so. The bathroom’s been done for quite some time but I haven’t gotten around to posting about it yet 🙂 Good for you for making it yourself! This build really wasn’t tough and shouldn’t give you too much trouble 🙂

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Hey, we're Dorris & JG. This is where we share our endeavors in all things DIY, home improvement, and general carpentry. Between never ending house projects and building furniture we stay busy chasing our toddler son around. Read More…

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